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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Broomfield (Denver), CO

Ziv Kruger for WomenTalkSports.com

The first ten bouts of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association are in the books – and the results reveal a new parity in the league that promises photo finishes and a bright future for the organization and the sport.

On Friday, November 11:

Minnesota upsets Charm City 160 to 121

But was it really an upset? Both teams made return appearances to The Championships proving that 2010 was not a fluke, but their meeting in Chicago last year resulted in a very lopsided 249 to 118 final score in favor of Charm City.

Rocky Mountain defeats Nashville 198 to 58

Nashville also made a return trip to The Championships this season, but somehow, their performance against Rocky Mountain didn’t satisfy as much as their 2010 effort against the Oly Rollers. Last year’s score was 214 to 53 in favor of Oly, who lost the trophy to Rocky Mountain by a point on what many regard as mental errors on the track in the final two jams of the bout.

Kansas City upsets Rose City 143 to 135

There’s no question in anyone’s mind as to which regions tend to dominate the WFTDA – and the South Central region has never been in the mix. (Texas won the trophy in Tucson in what many regard as a tournament that happened too soon – and at the time, Texas was in the Western region – and the WFTDA was a hotly debated concept. Kansas City also won the trophy as a Western Regional seed) Rose City’s hearts were once again broken, especially since they've been the brides maids for so many years, and few expected to see Rose eliminated in round one.

Philly defeats Naptown 225 to 68

Naptown grabbed lots of headlines in the Roller Derby Universe after stealing a ticket to the Championships at the North Central regional tournament this season. Expectations were mixed – but Philly cleared everyone’s minds relatively quickly.

Saturday, November 12:

Texas defeats a very game Minnesota 141 to 108

It took all Texas could muster to keep Minnesota at bay – and that says much about both teams. Ironically, the last time Texas threatened to take the trophy to Austin, it was lead by Minnesota’s former captain, and many skaters and fans await her return to the Texecutioners with great anticipation.

Gotham upsets Rocky Mountain 187 to 139

Rocky Mountain opened the door to the penalty box early, and occupied it late, and that’s never a good strategy against one of the most focused, intelligent, and disciplined teams in the WFTDA. I’ll avoid clichés about scores and execution to reflect that Gotham earned this win, despite appearances that Rocky gave it away.

Kansas City defeats Windy City 112 to 95

Windy City lost to KC by a 92 to 111 margin on September 10, 2011. I wasn’t there, but I feel like I just saw the replay. Once again, the draw seemed to favor KC although they failed to earn the top seed in this year’s South Centrals which they very ably hosted.

Oly defeats Philly 181 to 95

Those who saw Philly defeat Gotham by a point in the 2009 Eastern Regionals will never forget it. Nor will they forget Philly’s subsequent loss to a very-different-from-today Rocky Mountain by 7 points on Philly’s home track. All the same, this apparent collapse on the track was reminiscent of Philly’s disappointing performance against Gotham in the 2010 bout to determine third place – won by Gotham 162 to 51.

Gotham defeats Texas 195 to 113

Texas made it interesting very late into the bout, but Gotham’s meticulous, patient, and methodical approach to roller derby, coupled with Texas’ inability to stay out of the penalty box when it mattered most yielded this final score, and another frustrating exit for the first team to call itself a national champion. 2006 seems like prehistory, probably because it is.

Oly sneaks past Kansas City by 124 to 104

Kansas City drew blood early, and they never went away. Many will say that losing to Oly by 20 points is a commendable feat, and it may very well be, but there’s no question that Kansas City had opportunities to win this bout (delivered by courier from Oly again and again), and that they squandered those opportunities again and again. One might argue that this was Kansas City’s bout to lose, and those who know the team best will forever be perplexed by the lineups and decisions on the track when the bout, and arguably the trophy, were on the line.

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